San Francisco Beer Week hits Santa Cruz

With the holiday season behind us, and St. Patrick’s Day still weeks away, you may find that the prevalence of socially acceptable excuses to enjoy large quantities of beer fall flat this time of year. Never fear, for San Francisco Beer Week lets your cup runneth over with more than 300 Northern California events from Feb. 11–20. Locally, food and beer pairings, beer tastings, educational classes and opportunities to talk with brewers ensure it won’t be hard to find a great stout shindig, ale adventure or porter party.

No matter which meal you prefer, Severino's prepares them all with flair and fresh ingredients

Many hotels lack kitchens while others offer the most basic sustenance. Neither is the case at the Seacliff Inn, where Severino's fuels patrons throughout the day with ambitious wake-ups like Eggs Benedict, a casual lounge menu and filling dinner entrées of Salmon Dijon and rack of lamb.

Severino's serves breakfast daily including omelets, Huevos Rancheros, and lox and bagels. On weekends breakfast is followed by brunch. A nice list of salads ($10.99 to $12.99) includes seared Ahi with roasted red pepper vinaigrette.

I awoke recently to the seasonally uncommon sight of dry streets and a cloudless blue sky. Energized, I headed for the redwoods and Jenna Sue's Cafe. With the heater on, the sunroof wide open, and my old-school CD changer recently silenced by a pothole, I drove leisurely up Highway 9 hearing only the occasional swoosh of a passing car, the squawk of a jay, or the gurgling of a hidden waterfall.

Opening in the wee hours of the morning, Jenna Sue's is a commuter's best friend. Five pumper pots of coffee were lined up on a shelf, while breakfast sandwiches waited in the cold case. From the Bagel Bar, they stuff a plain bagel with a number of fast-breaking fillings including hummus, sprouts, cucumber and pesto cream cheese.

From Irish specialties to burgers, organic salads, and house-made desserts, at Rosie McCann's every day is St. Patrick's Day

Rosie McCann's has been a downtown fixture for a decade and a half, balancing the fine line between restaurant and disco. At each of my three recent visits the wait staff made me feel welcome and cared for, and I found comfort in the food of my ancestors.

For lunch Rosie's offers Irish Classics ($8 to $13), entrées ($13 to $15), burgers ($6.95), salads and house-made soups ($4 to $7).

Mobo has served legendary sushi for more than two decades. Rolls such as the broiled Pineapple Express ($13.95) with spicy tuna and macadamia nuts inside, smoked salmon, macadamias and pineapple on top offer sensational flavor and textural experiences.

There is another side to Mobo that may be overlooked; the more traditional Asian fare beyond miso soup and gyoza pot stickers.

The warm Udon Noodle Appetizer ($3.50) featured soft, fat wheat noodles in an earthy toasted sesame tahini sauce, similar to one I tasted with meat fondue in Tokyo.

Overlooking Soquel Creek, Little Tampico adds innovation to Mexican favorites

ampico is a port city on the Gulf of Mexico whose name means "place of the water dogs"; in other words, otters. Its humid subtropical climate sees a January low temperature of 55 degrees, so it seemed fitting, on a day that reached 53 degrees, to visit Soquel's Little Tampico.

At this restaurant on the sloped bank of Soquel Creek, we chose the lowest of its three dining levels where a gap between the windowed wall and overhead canvas canopy let in the crisp air. From here we could watch the smoothly flowing stream.

Chips were served with a pair of salsas. One was fairly mild with cilantro and chunks of fresh onion and tomato. The other was tomato-based also, but smooth, with a combination of chilies and spices that gave it heat and a very unique flavor.

As an appetizer, the Blue Nachos ($9.95) were even more delicious than expected. Blue corn tortilla chips were layered and topped with not only the typical Jack and cheddar cheeses, but crumbles of tangy goat ranchero as well. Also included were the house's black beans (more on them later), salsa, thick slices of fresh jalapeños and generous mounds of sour cream and mashed avocado. It was a meal in itself.

The lunch menu, served weekdays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. includes an all-you-can-eat taco and tostada bar ($6.95). From the list of Almuerzo (lunch) Favoritos, we chose the Tampiquena ($9.75). A sliced medium-rare rib-eye steak was joined by a fat, miniature crunchy taco with ground beef, a medium-sized chicken enchilada, lard-free refried beans, rice and avocado.

From the regular menu I chose the Santa Fe Enchilada ($11.50) which was assembled like lasagna. A thick layer of shredded beef was hidden between two blue corn tortillas and topped with cheeses and the flavorful cooked ranchero salsa made with tomatoes and onions. Oh, and the black beans were in a sauce like barbecue beans but dark and flavored with south-of-the-border spices.

For dessert, a triangular slice of lightly sweetened flan ($4.50) lay in a generous amount of caramelized sugar syrup. The dense toothsome custard was decorated with whipped cream and a maraschino cherry. A warming winter beverage ($7), coffee spiked with Jameson whiskey and Kahlua, was served in a large Mason jar with a handle.

And good news: the restaurant is hoping to expand into an adjacent storefront with a full-service bar.

Little Tampico, 2605 Main St., Soquel, 475-4700. Full Bar. Open daily at 11 a.m., until 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Visit littletampico.com.

Chocolate (the restaurant) is offering cooking classes at Backstage Lounge, many of which are geared toward tweens and teens. Chocolate will be used in both sweet and savory dishes. On Jan. 21, make mole and on Jan. 28, it's crêpes. February's classes include Cooking for Two (adults), Party Food, Cupcakes, and more crêpes.

Classes cost $50, or four for $150.

Chocolate's Cooking Classes at Backstage Lounge, 1209 Soquel Ave. Visit chocolatesantacruz.com/classes.html.

Mexico's state of Michoacán, meaning "place of the fishermen" in the Nahuatl language, is blessed with rivers and lakes, and proximity to the Pacific Ocean. Its town of Cotija is known for the crumbly cow's milk cheese we often find atop Mexican entrées.

I headed down Portola Road to Taqueria Michoacan last week in search of seafood specialties. The little restaurant is easy to miss, located in what may have once been a home. On the attractively lettered menu board, fish find their way into tacos, burritos, and tostadas ($2.00 to $6.95). Shrimp is served breaded, in a spicy ranchero sauce, or grilled with bell pepper, tomato and onion ($10.50). Octopus or shrimp ceviche tops tostadas ($5.95).

I first ordered the Michoacan Special Dish ($11.95) with rice and beans. Six plump shrimp were bathed in a spicy hot red sauce, which I also enjoyed on the simple griddled piece of firm, flaky white fish. I put bits of the large thin slice of asada beef into steaming corn tortillas, with onions which had been sautéed until dark and sweetly caramelized, and tomato and cilantro guacamole. The hot sauce in the squirt bottle I found too salty for chips, but the perfect complement to this impromptu soft taco.

While enjoying the surf and turf, people came and went, leaving with one of the 13 versions of Super Burrito ($5.95). Weighing in at almost one and a half pounds, they're stuffed with refried beans, rice, cabbage, avocado and sour cream. In one I had simmered shreds of chicken in a mildly sweet mole, in the other, chunks of tender pork chile verde.

Between two brown dotted flour tortillas, the Super Quesadilla ($5.95) held cabbage, cilantro, avocado, and sour cream with my selection of barbecued chicken; little pieces of spicy grilled meat.

Taqueria Michoacan, 21401 East Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz, 465-8290.

I found food fit for a king at the beautifully furnished Dynasty Restaurant

It was a rare but welcome night when my dad came home with red and white cartons of Chinese food. Later, when an associate of his returned from Japan with chopsticks, I was excited to learn how they work. Sweet and sour pork (which our neighbor Mrs. Kong taught my mother to make) was a favorite.

I stopped at Dynasty Restaurant a few months ago for egg rolls and was immeasurably impressed by the decor. Three large tables the color of rosewood appear able to seat twelve, each with lazy Susans and adorned with gilded dragons. The banquet room holds an even bigger circular table.

Errand day typically involves lunch on the run, and since we were in Scotts Valley, we stepped into Maya Mexican Restaurant on the corner of Scotts Valley Drive and Mt. Herman Road. The front room felt like a fiesta with living trees, strings of tiny multi-colored lights, sponge-painted orange walls and Mexican music.

Maya is known for its selection of almost 50 tequilas, some of which were aged up to five years in oak barrels. The large bar area includes a couple of televisions and sofas, and makes many of its premium margaritas with Gran Gala, an Italian triple-orange liqueur blended with VSOP brandy.

Chilly temperatures send the stock pots to simmering all around town

On weary winter weekends the lunch table would feature hot soup from familiar red and white cans. Tomato was my favorite (made with water, not milk) with crisp, salty crackers crumbled on top.

Even better however was soup after the holidays when Mom would toss a ham bone into a pot of dry, soaked lima beans. Unaware of the frugality of the meal, I held my face over the bowl, relishing the smoky-smelling steam, and then whistled onto large spoonfuls until the flat beans and thick broth were cool enough to eat.